Pirelli reports ‘encouraging’ start for new F1 medium tyres

Pirelli is pleased with the debut performance of its new PZero White medium tyres ahead of the European Grand Prix on the Valencia street circuit this Sunday.

Paul Hembery, director of motorsport for the Italian tyres manufacturer, said: “It’s been a very encouraging start here for the new PZero White medium tyre and the PZero Yellow soft tyre, both in terms of performance and durability.

“This is the most abrasive street circuit that we will face all year, but we’re still expecting only one or two stops for the majority of competitors and a difference of about a second to a second and half per lap between the medium and soft tyres.

“With the new medium tyre, we should see a range of about 30 laps on race day and about 20 laps for the soft tyre, putting us on course to meet our targets for this event.”

It is the first time the medium tyres will have been used in competition, although they were tested by all the teams earlier this year during free practice in Canada.